Michigan District Prioritizes Security with $225,900 in Planned Upgrades

The Marquette Area Public Schools Board of Education awarded a bid of $225,900 to a construction company on Monday for security upgrades in the district.

By Jessica Davis

May 22, 2019

The Marquette Area Public Schools Board of Education awarded a bid of $225,900 to a construction company on Monday for security upgrades in the district.

School security is a top priority for the district, MAPS Superintendent Bill Saunders said; however, the district still wants to balance safety with a welcoming environment.

“We want to have warm welcoming buildings,” Saunders said. “We want to encourage interaction with the community. At the same time, we’re also focused on adding layers of security to best protect our students.”

One of the planned upgrades includes a secure vestibule for the office area at Marquette Alternative High School. The full glass front won’t be changed, but there will be another set of doors added inside the main vestibule, Saunders said.

“It would be much more secure. It directs traffic through the main office,” he said.

The security upgrade bid also includes Avigilon hardware for two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school campus. The system will let the district add an element of access control.

“This is expensive technology, but it starts us on a track that we have complete door-access control for our visitors,” Saunders said. Office staff will be able to use a button to lock any door, and the doors can be programmed to open or close at any time.

Saunders said the district aims to have that security system in place on every door in the district.

In addition to the physical security, Saunders said they also want to focus on safety measures that aren’t tangible.

“We also need to focus on the mental well-being of our students,” Saunders said, “and that doesn’t happen through hardware and those type of things.”

There is not yet a timeline for when construction on the upgrades will begin.